A New Threat
by Lady Joy Reborn
Summary: I've brought my story "A New Evil" back under a different title and home. This is a crossover fanfic between FF2(4) and FF3(6). A powerful enemy has surfaced and is bent on world domination. Can our heroes save the day? ::ON HOLD::
1. The Beginning of Trouble

Author's Note: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy series. If I did, I would pass out from shock. :o). Anyway, this is a crossover between FF2/4 and FF3/6, two of my favorite games in the series. It was previously titled "A New Evil" under my old penname "Lady Joy," but I couldn't get in to do any updates. I had to redo the story under a new name. It starts out seeming like an FF4 story, but bear with me. So, without further delay, here comes "A New Threat."  
  
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Chapter One...The Beginning of Trouble  
  
Cecil of Baron looked over his balcony at the magnificent few he possessed of his kingdom. It's a beautiful night, he thought with a sigh. He thought of everything that he and his friends had endured to get to this point. Then his thoughts seemed to rest on his best friend, Kain. He let out a sigh. "I wish Kain could be here to enjoy this peaceful period with us." It had been almost a year since they had seen each other, since that fateful day that ended Zemus' reign of terror. Cecil and his friends missed him dearly and hoped for his safe return someday.  
Just then, he heard commotion from the castle gates below. He quickly and quietly scrambled out of the room to investigate and found two guards near the gates. The guards immediately saluted when they say the king. "What is going on here?" Cecil demanded to know.  
"Sire, a man was found unconscious nearby," said one of the sentries.  
"Where is he?" Cecil asked worriedly.  
"He is outside, sire. We were about to get your permission to bring him in, Your Majesty."  
"Bring him in immediately!" The gate was quickly lowered and two guards entered, carefully carrying the injured man between them.  
He was in bad shape. His armor was dented and cut open in many places, revealing deep gashes that oozed blood. There was something familiar about this man, but his armor and body were too beaten to be recognizable. "Have him taken to guest room quickly. I shall go wake the queen." Cecil went to the chambers that he and his wife Rosa shared. He gently shook her. "Rosa."  
Rosa stirred and finally woke up. "Wha—What is it Cecil?"  
"An injured man is being brought into the castle. He needs your help." Cecil didn't need to say more. Rosa quickly dressed and followed Cecil and a guard to where the man lay unconscious. Rosa leaned over to remove his helm to reveal his pale face. She gasped and dropped the helm onto the floor.  
The man lying before them was Kain.  
  
"Kain!" Cecil cried out, just realizing that the injured man was his best friend. Kain's armor was completely trashed, making it hard to tell that it was the armor of the Dragoons. Cecil bent over his friend and took one of his lifeless hands into his own. "Rosa, can you do anything for him?"  
Rosa was already chanting her most powerful spell. She released it after what seemed like eternity. Kain's wounds were healed, and his breathing became less labored. He even gained some color to his cheeks. She leaned back, letting out a long sigh. "I think he'll be alright. But he'll need to rest awhile. I think we should leave him so he can sleep." Cecil reluctantly agreed and followed Rosa out of the room.  
  
The morning rays woke Kain from his sleep. He nearly leaped up when he saw Rosa leaning over him. "Well, it's about time you woke up. I was beginning to worry."  
"R-Rosa?" Kain said, not really knowing where he was or how he had come to be there. He quickly glanced around, at once realizing where he was. "I'm in Baron?" Rosa nodded.  
"The guards found you unconscious last night. I was able to cure you in time."  
Kain leaped out of bed, his memory of the previous twenty-four hours returning. But a wave of dizziness overcame him and he would have fallen if Cecil had not taken him by the shoulder.  
"Easy, my friend. You are still very weak from your ordeal."  
"Cecil, thank goodness you're safe, both of you. I was afraid that whatever is out there would come for you, too." Kain seemed frantic as he described what had taken place before he was found.  
  
"I went to Mt. Ordeals, hoping to cleanse my soul. I stayed there for the entire year we were apart, Cecil. Then I tried to become a Paladin, like you, but I failed. The voice said that I could try again later, if I had the strength. I decided to leave the mountain and wander around for a while. All of the sudden, I saw it. It was enormous. I have never seen anything like it in all my days. Then it attacked me. I tried to defend myself, but I was totally outclassed. I didn't stand a chance."  
  
Cecil frowned deeply at Kain's account of what happened and the monster that attacked him. Could that stop this monster before it destroys them all? "I certainly hope so," he thought grimly.  
Kain looked at his mangled armor and sighed. "I won't be of much help if my armor stays looking like that," he stated. "I have to go and get it repaired."  
"But—don't you have to go to Dragon Canyon to repair your armor?" Rosa asked hesitantly. Kain nodded.  
"But that's over two days from here!" Cecil cried, looking at his friend with concern. "What if that thing comes after you again? I am going, too."  
"NO! You have to gather the others and prepare for battle. It's going to take everything we have to stop this thing." He turned to go. "And even that may not be enough."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Thank you for coming so quickly. I have terrible news, my friends. There is a terrible monster roaming our world. And we have to stop it."  
Edge groaned. "Will this EVER end!? Will we EVER have ANY peace?"  
"I know how you feel, Edge. I don't want to fight anymore either, but we have to stop this thing or parish. It already attacked Kain."  
"Kain's been hurt?" Rydia asked worriedly.  
"He was, but Rosa cured him," Cecil explained assuringly.  
"Where is he?" Edward asked. Cecil explained that the Dragoon went to Dragon Canyon to repair his badly damaged armor. "What do we do in the meantime?"  
Cecil looked at his friends and said, "Train."  
  
By the time Kain returned from Dragon Canyon, Cecil and Rosa had gathered everyone else together at Baron Castle. Cecil was astonished by Kain's newly repaired armor. 'It looks brand new!' he thought.  
The scene was set. The allies looked over the field, awaiting the inevitable. Now they waited for their enemy to arrive. "What if he doesn't show?" Edge said.  
"Well, all you would have to do is look at him and he'd faint dead away from the very look of you. And the smell," Cid said from near the ninja.  
"WHAT! I DON'T SMELL!" Edge yelled.  
"We don't have time to bicker. That monster could be here any minute, and from Kain described, it's the biggest one we have ever faced," Cecil snapped. Cid smirked. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."  
"It's a wonder you can stand on your feet, then, Tubby," Edge said with a grin. Cid glared at him. Suddenly the whole ground shook. Edge and Cid stopped arguing. "What—what was that?" Cid stammered.  
"That...is our enemy," Kain said coldly. A huge giant appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It was gigantic, with glowing eyes and a fierce appearance.  
"Oh my—"was all Rosa could manage to get out before the beast noticed their presence. He raised his fist, ready to strike.  
Suddenly a tremendous bright light enveloped both the heroes and the giant. For several moments, none of them could see a thing.  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: Well, that's Chapter One. What do you think? What is that bright light and what caused it? You'll have to read Chapter Two to find out. Oh, and review please. Thanks! :o) 


	2. Friends of Foes?

AN: Welcome to another exciting chapter of the story. When we last saw our heroes, they were fighting a terrible monster when a blinding light interceded. Let's find out what's going on, shall we?  
  
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Chapter Two...Friends or Foes?  
  
Rosa was the first to recover her sight. She found herself sitting on the grass, still in front of the castle. She looked around, stunned by what she saw. The giant had been vanquished. In its place were a group of strangers. There were five of them: three men and two women.  
One of the women had green hair, just like Rydia's, though the woman's hair was a bit longer and in a ponytail. The one closest to her was a young man with rugged clothing and wearing a bandana around his head.  
The other woman donned a cape and had blonde hair. Another man was very muscular with blonde hair that was short on the top and pulled into a quaint ponytail in the back.  
Rosa noticed the fifth person only because she heard footsteps. She turned to see a man. He had longer blonde hair that the previous man, though he looked almost looked exactly like him. He donned a royal blue armor with a blue cape flowing behind him. But the queen of Baron took all this in quickly, for then she noticed he was holding a sword in his right hand.  
She immediately panicked when she saw him bending in her direction. She let out a blood-curdling scream...  
  
Cecil heard his wife scream, but was still without his sight and unable to help her. "Kain, can you see?" he whispered desperately to his friend, as he knew Kain was beside him.  
"Almost. Give me a second."  
Kain's vision was just returning. He looked around quickly and spotted Rosa. She was in a sitting position on the ground. Standing over her was an armored man carrying a mighty fine sword. Suspecting the worst and acting on instinct alone, Kain performed his most powerful technique. He swiftly jumped in the air and prepared his spear to strike...  
  
"NO! Edgar, look out!"  
The armored stranger leaped out of the way. Kain's spear struck deep into the ground where he once stood. Then the man turned and swung his sword, only to clash with the Crystal sword. Everyone else had regained their sight as well, and it appeared as though a standoff was inevitable.  
Edge and Yang faced up against the muscular blonde, who seemed impressingly calm. He even sneered at his opponents, which infuriated Edge. But the ninja underestimated his opponent, and wasn't prepared for the fighter's power. The stranger brought his hands up in a diamond shape and closed his eyes. There was a glow, then he unleashed a devastating attack that knocked the ninja and martial artist several yards.  
Meanwhile, the rugged foreigner faced off with Rydia. She cast a powerful fire spell, but she didn't realize that the man had a magic wall around him, so she found the spell coming at her instead. She managed to get out of the way just in time.  
Polom and Porom went up against the blonde haired warrioress. They cast one of their twin spells, but to their amazement, the spell was absorbed by the woman's sword. She hadn't even been affected by the magic. She took a step forward, sword raised for attack.  
Edward and the green-haired woman looked at each other. Edward was a little worried about facing the woman. He knew he wasn't the best fighter in the world, and he really didn't like the idea of battling this woman, of whom he knew nothing about. She might be able to destroy him with a simple gesture.  
She looked at him and smiled slightly. "You don't really want to fight me, do you?" she asked suddenly. Edward shook his head. "Then we won't. I don't want to fight you either. Violence only leads to the loss of innocent lives." This made sense. Edward nodded in agreement.  
"We should stop them from fighting, too," he suggested.  
"Right. Allow me." The woman raised her arms to the sky and closed her eyes. Suddenly there was a bright glow surrounding her body. As Edward stood gaping, the woman...changed. Then she flew through the air. She knocked the muscle and the rougue to the ground, took the other woman's sword, and then came to a stop between Cecil and his opponent.  
"What the—" Cecil exclaimed. By this time, everyone came to stand next to their friends. Rydia looked on in total shock, as did Rosa. The twins looked like they were scared stiff. Edge, Yang, and Kain looked at the woman with awe.  
"Why did you do that?" the muscle man demanded to know.  
"This fighting is pointless. Think about it. Why fight when we can work together? We are on the same side, for goodness sake!"  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Edge demanded.  
"Where saving your tail, it seems!" the muscled man retorted. The two glared at each other for a second before Rosa spoke.  
"Then why did you raise that sword at Rosa?" Cecil asked the caped figure.  
"My lady, I was not raising a sword at you. I merely had it in my hand. My intention was only to aid you in standing." The man sheathed his sword. Cecil gazed at him for a second, then followed suit. Everyone seemed to relax a little bit.  
"How...how is it that you can do that?" Rydia asked, coming to stand by the still glowing woman.  
"I can morph into this form at will. I am part esper." Seeing Rydia's confused look, she quickly explained about espers. Then she took a deep breathed and changed back to her original form.  
"I think we should all go inside. We have A LOT to talk about," Cecil suggested.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few moments later, they all gathered in the conference room. "Alright, I suppose the first thing to do would be to introduce ourselves," Cecil said. "I am the King Cecil of Baron and this is my wife Rosa."  
"I am Edge, King of Eblan," Edge stated flatly, not removing his eyes from the muscled stranger's.  
"I am Kain," Kain said simply, not one for long introductions.  
"My name is Rydia," the caller introduced herself.  
Yang bowed deeply and introduced himself, "King Yang of Fabul."  
Edward introduced himself in turn, "King Edward of Damcyan."  
"I am Porom, white wizard from Mysidia, and this is my brother, Polom. He's a black wizard," Porom said politely.  
"And don't you forget it!" Polom stated matter-of-factly.  
Cid, who had been watching Edge glare at the stranger this whole time, finally spoke up. "Oh, stop looking at the lad, you ol' fuddy duddy," he said. This made the strangers laugh out loud. "My name is Cid, Master Engineer."  
The caped man stood. "We are pleased to meet you all. I am King Edgar from Figaro, and this is my twin brother, Sabin."  
"Sabin, eh?" Edge said, still not relinquishing his gaze.  
"Yes. I am Sabin. You got a problem with that?" Sabin stated coldly. Edgar gave him a harsh look.  
"Brother..."  
"Ahem. If you three are quite finished now." The blonde woman stood. "I am Celes."  
"I am pleased to introduce thyself. My name ist Cyan." The warrior bowed when he stood.  
"My name is Locke," the rugged warrior with the bandana said.  
"Did we miss anyone?" Edge asked.  
"Ahem." The green haired woman stood and smiled.  
"Oh...sorry," Edge apologized almost immediately  
"Terra."  
"Terra....that's a pretty name," Edge stated.  
"Thanks." Terra smiled again.  
"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way for the time being, we should get done to business," Edgar said, taking almost immediate charge of the situation. Cecil looked up at him. "Of course, that is, with your permission, King Cecil."  
"By all means. I was hoping for an explanation." Edgar looked the part of a born leader, like Edge. Cecil almost felt out of place in his own castle. He concentrated on what Edgar was saying.  
"Very well, then." Edgar moved around the room as he spoke. "We came here from the future. In pursuit of a very powerful demon by the name of Shefiel who has wrecked havoc on the countryside, toppling buildings, scaring people and such. That giant you saw was only one of the demon's minions. We are looking for the leader itself."  
"The problem is that we don't know who the demon is just yet. We have a sinking suspicion we won't like him though," Sabin added. "But that won't stop us from stomping him into oblivion."  
"Truth be told, we could use your help. We don't know this particular country, or for that matter, this continent. Our home is pretty far away," Edgar continued.  
"We aren't just going to be tour guides! We want this demon, too!" Edge stated, standing and looking at Edgar fiercely.  
"Calm down, Edge," Cecil said.  
"If that giant was only the beginning, then this thing is not only a threat to you, but to us as well, and I for one am not going to sit around and watch. I demand that we fight, too!"  
Edgar looked at Edge and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way." That seemed to calm him down a bit. Edgar turned to Cecil. "King Cecil—."  
"Just Cecil will do."  
"Cecil, we have friends that are arriving soon. They dropped us off and had to leave again. Is it alright if they land near Baron?"  
"But of course."  
"Thank you."  
"So we should be expecting an airship landing?" Cid asked. Edgar nodded. "Alright. I guess I'd better go clear some space outside." He stood and left the room.  
"Cid takes care of the airship landings here," Cecil explained.  
"So you have airships here?" Terra asked. "I thought the Falcon was the only one."  
"I should say not, Cecil's Red Wings are here as well," Kain said, finally speaking after a long silence.  
"Great. Now the Falcon can take a break," Sabin chuckled.  
"Yes. Setzer will think he's in heaven," Edgar smiled at his brother.  
"King Edgar—," Rosa began.  
"Please call me Edgar," Edgar said cheerfully to the queen.  
"Okay. Edgar, I want to thank you for helping us."  
"No problem at all, Highness." Edgar bowed.  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: That concludes this chapter. Looks like almost everyone is getting along in this calm before the storm. How long until our heroes face another batch of monsters? Find out in the next chapter! Review please. I love to hear your comments. :o) . 


	3. Getting Cold

AN: Greetings! In this chapter, our heroes enjoy a few minutes rest before a big fight. Read and enjoy!  
  
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Chapter Three...Getting Cold  
  
Cecil invited his new allies to stay at the palace, and they happily accepted. Then they dispersed for a while. Rydia caught up with Terra. She had something she wanted to ask.  
"Terra, can we talk?" she asked.  
"Sure." The two girls went off to the den to talk.  
Rosa, meanwhile, found herself looking for Sabin. She found him pacing the courtyard. "Hello."  
He turned to face her. "Hello."  
"I'm sorry if Edge made you upset. It's just his way." She had felt the need to apologize for the ninja's actions.  
Sabin's face softened. "It wasn't your fault. And besides, I'm the same way, if you noticed. Maybe that's why there was a conflict."  
He seems wise beyond his years. That's probably because of his royal bloodline, Rosa thought. Aloud she said, "Well, I am the queen, and what goes on has an affect on what people think of me and Cecil."  
"Don't give it a second thought," Sabin told her. There was a pause.  
"So, are you a king, too? I mean, if Edgar is your twin brother..."  
"No, I'm not a king. Father's dying wish was for us to rule Figaro together, but I didn't feel I had it in me, so Edgar took my place as sole ruler.  
"Oh," Rosa said. "So you left Figaro?"  
"Yes. I went to train under the great martial artist."  
"That sounds exciting."  
"Wanna hear about some of our adventures?" Sabin asked cheerfully. Rosa nodded eagerly.  
  
Edgar gazed over the countryside on one of the towers of the castle. The stars were out, and the moon hung lazily in the endless sky. There was a slight breeze, and he shivered uncontrollably.  
"Are you cold?" a voice said behind him. He turned to find Kain standing behind him.  
"A little. I am used to the heat of Figaro, not the chill of Baron."  
Kain sighed. "Quiet night, isn't it?" Edgar nodded. He heard Kain sigh. "What happens tomorrow?"  
"Cecil and I decided to hold a meeting to decide. We got to stop Shefiel before it's too late."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That next day, Cecil was wandering through the castle when he spotted Cyan and Celes in the courtyard. They were engaged in a sparing at swordplay. He stopped and watched them. At first, they were evenly matched, then, in a surprising move, Cyan disarmed Celes, thus winning the match. Cecil went over to them and challenged the victor to a match. Cyan agreed, saluted, and they started the match. Cecil was amazed by Cyan's stunning skill, as was Cyan by Cecil's. But Cecil proved the better of the two, and after a long bout, he managed to win the match.  
Cyan bowed. "Thou art a fine swordsman, King Cecil."  
"I thank you, Cyan. You are also gifted at the sword."  
"That was great. I guess you have a little competition at the best swordsman, Cyan," Celes said, going over to them. The two men smiled.  
Kain came over to them. "Cecil, Edgar is looking for you."  
"Okay." He turned to Celes and Cyan. "Please excuse me." He turned and left. He found Edgar waiting in the throne room. "You wanted to talk with me?"  
"Yes. I was hoping you had a map, or could draw up a layout of your side of the world," Edgar told him. Cecil said he had a map and went to get it. While he was gone, Kain entered the room.  
"Did Cecil come in here?"  
"Yes. He went to get a map." Kain nodded, then there was a pause.  
Kain wanted to say something to Edgar, but held back. Finally, his conscience gave way to his pride. "I wanted to apologize for trying to kill you. I didn't know your intentions."  
"It's alright. I might have done the same to you if Cecil had not stopped me." He turned and went over to the Dragoon. "I should be the one to apologize to you."  
"There's no need for that. You were merely defending yourself."  
"Let us forget our mistakes and work together," Edgar said, smiling. He held out his hand. Kain took it and the two shook hands.  
While Cecil and Edgar busied themselves with formulating a strategy, Kain excused himself and quietly left the room. He wondered the castle aimlessly, little used to being there. He spotted Edge, Rosa, and Sabin outside the castle. He went over to them.  
"Duncan taught me a series of attacks called the Blitz technique," Sabin was saying. "I'll give you a demonstration." He turned to a nearby tree. Concentrating his energy, he let out a blast of energy from his hands. The beam hit the tree, turning it into splinters.  
"That was amazing!" Edge stated. It was also enough to get the others to come and investigate. Even Edgar and Cecil came out, having heard the noise.  
"Little brother, what happened?" Edgar asked.  
"Relax, brother. I was just showing Edge and Rosa my technique." Edgar glared at him.  
"It's okay, no one got hurt," Rosa said. "It was a demonstration. Sabin is very powerful." Sabin grinned. Edgar rolled his eyes.  
"Everyone!" Polom and Porom came rushing up. "Something evil is headed straight for us!" Polom stated, out of breath. Edgar and Cecil exchanged a glance.  
Then the ground shook again. "Oh, no! Not another giant!" Edge groaned. Sure enough, that was just what it was, and the giant wasn't alone.  
There was an army of monsters. And they were headed straight for them.  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: I'm a bad girl for ending the chapter on such a cliffhanger, aren't I? :o) . Oh, boy. They sure have their hands full this time. What's going to happen? Find out in Chapter Four of the story. Remember to read and review. 


	4. The First Real Battle

AN: Here's the next chapter in which a significant battle takes place. Will our heroes triumph? Read and find out!  
  
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Chapter Four...The First Real Battle  
  
"Oh my--," was all Terra could say.  
Sabin immediately began concentrating his energy on a Blitz technique. When he released it, he managed to defeat several monsters that were coming at him. Terra let loose her Ultima spell, devastating a large portion of the army surrounding her. Cyan used his sword techniques to vanquish his foes. Celes used her runic blade to absorb the enemy's magic attacks. Edge used his twin blades to cut through the enemy lines as the twin wizards set forth their magic. Kain was jumping on enemies left and right  
Cecil found himself away from the others off to the side of the battlements. He also found himself outnumbered. There were eight of them and one of him. He managed to defeat two of his adversaries, leaving six to contend with. As he fought a particularly tough opponent, he failed to notice a monster sneaking up behind him, his sword ready to strike.  
Edgar, in truth, was not far from Cecil. He had just finished killing another monster and found himself open to help a friend. He looked over the battlefield and concluded that Cecil was the closest and most in need of help. Then he saw the creature sneaking up on the king.  
"Look out, Cecil!" he yelled, rushing over. He reached the king just as the monster was ready to strike. He pushed Cecil out of harms way, but didn't have time to dodge himself. The beast's sword went hilt-deep into his side. He yelled out in pain, but managed to stay on his feet. Cecil got back to his feet and chopped the monster's head off. He turned to the injured king.  
"Edgar!" he yelled. Edgar grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out.  
"I—I'm okay. Just—watch—your back." Edgar stammered out, picking up his own sword where he had dropped it and going off to continue to fight. Cecil tried to stop him, but was stopped by another wave of monsters.  
Sabin and Terra had taken care of the giant, and the remainder of the army was retreating into the forest surrounding Baron. "Come on, let's go after them!" Edge yelled, wanting to finish the battle.  
"No, let them go. We want their master," Kain stated.  
"Edgar, your hurt!" Rosa noticed the nasty wound that continued to gush blood from the young king's side.  
"I—I'm fine," Edgar protested. He was very pale and breathing heavily.  
"No, your not," Terra stated firmly. "Come inside so we can take care of that."  
Not one to argue with two ladies at once, Edgar agreed and Terra helped him inside. Rosa stayed outside to tend to everyone else's wound. After that, they all returned to the castle's interior.  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: That's the end of chapter four. I know it's a bit short, but it seemed like a good stopping point. What awaits these warriors next? And will Edgar recover in time to help his friends? Read, review and check out the next chapter. 


	5. How Many Heroes Does It Take To Kill A D...

AN: Are you ready to find out what happened to Edgar and the others? In this chapter, some old friends show up and a plan is set into motion. Enjoy!  
  
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Chapter Five...How Many Heroes Does It Take To Beat A Demon?  
  
Edgar was resting, still feeling the effects of the wound he received, in his chambers. There was a knock at his door. "Come in." Rosa entered the room. "Why, hello, Queen Rosa."  
"Just Rosa, please. I hope I'm not interrupting. Terra said you were still recuperating."  
"You're not interrupting a thing, Rosa. I'm fine, just sore," Edgar shrugged it off.  
"I—Cecil told me what happened during the battle. I want to thank you for saving his life."  
"'Twas my pleasure. He is a very important person," Edgar stated.  
"That he is. Thank you for saving him." The two exchanged a smile. "Well, I had better be going so you can get some rest. You are a very important person, too." With that, she quietly slipped out of the room. Edgar watched her leave, then closed his eyes. Soon he was fast asleep.  
  
That next day, everyone gathered in the dining room for a wonderful feast. Sabin, of course, stuffed his face, making everyone laugh heartedly.  
"Brother, must you act like such a pig at the table?" Edgar scolded him.  
"Well, I have a hardy appetite, brother." Edgar simply rolled his eyes. "Feeling better?"  
"Yep. I slept like a baby last night. Baron has the best beds in the world," Edgar said with a smile.  
"I have to agree with you," Sabin stated.  
"I'm glad you slept well," Cecil said.  
After they ate, they went outside to examine the damage done to the castle and town. There was some minor damage to the front of the castle wall, but Cid said he would have it looking as good as new in no time. Then they went about looking over the town. There was some damage to the weapons and armor shops, but there wasn't anything that couldn't be repaired.  
  
Later, everyone gathered in the courtyard for a brief meeting.  
"We must stop this before any innocent people get hurt," Sabin was saying.  
"That demon can't be too far. He would need a secluded place. Somewhere where he could utilize a large number of forces, yet not be seen," Edgar stated.  
"Maybe he's right under our noses. Remember? The remainder of the army that attacked us retreated to the forest just outside of here. Maybe that is where the demon has been hiding," Edge said.  
"Of course! We'll head out there and—," Palom was cut off as they heard the sound of an airship approaching.  
"That must be the Falcon," Edgar said, looking up.  
"Sure took them long enough," Sabin grumbled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Falcon landed nearby. Everyone came over to greet them. Edgar went to talk to the pilot, a white-haired individual with scars that criss- crossed his pale face. Then an old man and a young girl disembarked from the vessel. The old man was Strago, and the girl was Relm, his granddaughter.  
"It sure took you long enough, Setzer!" Sabin complained.  
"Well, we ran into a spot of trouble, as I was just explaining to Edgar," the man named Setzer replied. "Now, would you all like to introduce me to your friends here or should I just guess their names?" Introductions were made, then Cecil spoke.  
"What kind of trouble did you run into?"  
"It seems that our demon friend has a thrill for trying to knock airships out of the air. We ran into a group of dragons on the way over."  
"Dragons?" Rosa repeated.  
"Yes, but luckily we were able to outrun the ones we didn't kill with magic," Strago reported.  
"Which means we still have some dragons out there to deal with," Edgar concluded.  
"Suggestions?" Sabin turned to his brother.  
"Cecil, are your airships armed?" Edgar asked.  
"Yes," came Cecil's reply.  
"How many can you get in the air in the next few moments?"  
Cecil turned to Cid. "About four or five. That's all that are ready at the moment."  
"What's your plan, big brother?"  
"We're going to go dragon hunting."  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: There's Chapter Five. What do you think so far? Read, review and prepare for the next chapter in which the demon may finally reveal himself. 


	6. The Demon's Lair

AN: Hiyas! Well, Edgar has a plan to go after the master bad guy. Will it succeed? Read on and find out!  
  
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Chapter Six...The Demon's Lair  
  
"One of those dragons is bound to be able to lead us to the mastermind behind all this. A group will take the Falcon and follow one of them. The Red Wings will take care of the rest of them," Edgar explained.  
"Sounds good to me, but who all is going in the Falcon?" Edge asked. "I nominate myself."  
"Alright, Edge is one, and I make two," Edgar said.  
"Well, if you're going, then so am I," Sabin declared.  
"I wish to go as well," Cecil stated.  
"And me, too. You may need me," Rosa stated.  
"And I am definitely going. I have to pilot the Falcon," Setzer stated.  
"Good. That should do it. The rest of you will board the Red Wings and get rid of the remaining dragons," Edgar said. The others nodded.  
  
A few moments later, Edgar, Sabin, Edge, Cecil, and Rosa boarded the Falcon, piloted by Setzer.  
"You be careful, Edgar," Terra warned.  
"I shall," Edgar assured him.  
"And that goes for you, too, Cecil," Kain said. Cecil nodded. Then Setzer lifted the airship off the air. The Red Wings soon followed suite.  
Edgar's plan went off seemingly without a hitch. While the others were preoccupied with the Red Wings, one of the dragons's slipped off. The Falcon followed.  
"This is easier than I thought it would be," Sabin stated.  
"Yeah. Too easy," Edgar replied.  
"Do I turn back, Edgar?" Setzer asked, noticing Edgar's unrest.  
"No, keep going. We might as well play this thing out to its finish," Cecil said. Edgar nodded in agreement. The Falcon followed the dragon to a cave at the top of a mountain. The dragon vanished within the cave.  
"Setzer, can we land inside the cave, like the dragon?" Edgar asked  
"Yeah, I think so. The mouth of the cave is big enough."  
"No, don't do that. I have a feeling that would not be wise," Cecil stated.  
"Okay. Sabin, lower the rope. Setzer, get us as close as you can," Edgar said. Setzer complied, and the rest of them climbed down the rope and entered the mouth of the cave.  
  
"Okay, everyone, stick together. This is uncharted territory, and we don't want to be separated," Edgar commanded. His comrades nodded.  
They began to follow a long tunnel deep into the mountain's interior. About five minutes into the cave, they heard a loud laughter, then a deep voice.  
"Ah, visitors. Welcome to my home, even though you forgot to knock."  
"Show yourself, demon!" Edge yelled out.  
"Yes, so we can finish this face to face!" Sabin added.  
"I would love to, but then again, what would be the fun in that?"  
"Come out! We'll see who will be having fun at the end of this fight!" Edgar said.  
"You'll have to find me, King of Figaro. But first things first..."  
Suddenly the floor beneath Edgar opened up, causing him to drop into a hole.  
"Edgar!" Sabin cried out.  
"Don't worry, you'll join him soon enough!"  
Then Sabin fell down a hole that opened underneath him. Cecil was nearby and grabbed his arm, stopping his fall. Meanwhile, behind him, Rosa shouted as she too fell down a hole, as did Edge. Cecil was too busy trying to keep a hold of Sabin to help them. 'I hope they will be okay,' he thought. But then the hole around Sabin got wider, and both of them found themselves falling.  
The last thing Cecil remembered was falling...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Cecil! Cecil, are you okay?" Sabin's voice came into Cecil's consciousness. He stirred and opened his eyes. He sat up, looking around. They had fallen into some sort of tunnel.  
"Where are we?" Cecil asked.  
"I don't know. Deeper into the mountain, I guess." Sabin helped Cecil stand up. "You okay?" He asked again.  
"Yes, I think so. We have to find the others." Sabin nodded in agreement and the two started off.  
"Thanks for trying to help me, even though we both ended up down here," Sabin said as they made their way down tunnel.  
"No problem. I am just glad we're both alive."  
At the end of the tunnel was a door. "Well, I guess we should go through it," Sabin stated. "No where else to go."  
"Just like that monster planned it I'm sure. It's probably a trap," Cecil said. "But we don't have a choice." He unsheathed his sword as Sabin got out his claw. Then Cecil opened the door.  
  
Edge fell and finally landed in a mud hole in the center of an open room. 'Ugh, why did it have to be mud?' He got to his feet and looked around. The room was empty besides the mud puddle. There was a door just in front of him. He stared at the door, expecting something to come through it and attack him, but nothing did. He unsheathed his twin blades and burst through the door.  
  
Rosa fell and fell. She finally landed in a weed patch. She sat up and looked around. She was in some sort of a weed garden. She was still inside the cave, but alone. She called out to the others, but got no answer. She got up and dusted herself off. Where am I? She asked herself.  
Suddenly a large dome fell over her. She tried to get out of the dome, but found it impossible. 'Oh no!' she thought. 'I'm trapped!'  
  
Edgar fell right into a pond full of water. Wet and annoyed, he got to his feet and looked around. He was in the center of a large room. There was a throne on the far side of the room. The throne was made of human skulls. He immediately unsheathed his sword, preparing for the worst. He was alone, but was still going to put up a fight.  
"How noble. Fighting until the bitter end, even though you can never defeat me."  
"YOU! Show yourself, coward! Let's finish this!" Edgar yelled.  
"Do you know what you are standing in, warrior? It is my Pond of Pain. Would you like to discover why it is named that?"  
Edgar didn't like the sound of that. He reached out with his hand, only to find that an invisible wall of some sort surrounded the pond. 'This is definitely NOT good,' the king thought.  
Just then the doors on the other side of the room burst open and Edge rushed in, swords in hands. "Edgar!" he called out.  
"Watch out, Edge. That monster is here somewhere."  
"Welcome, King of Eblan. Would you like to fight me?"  
"I would love to," Edge stated coldly.  
There was a poof of smoke, then a dark figure appeared. He wore a red cape and hood that covered his features. His hands were that of a skeleton.  
"I would love to fight you as well, but you appear to be all alone, ninja. Where are your friends?"  
Just then another door by the throne opened, and Cecil and Sabin stepped through it. Edge smirked. "They appear to have outsmarted you again, demon."  
Sabin went to Edgar. "Are you okay, big brother?"  
"Yeah."  
"Where's Rosa, fiend!" Cecil demanded to know.  
The creature was unmoved by the appearance of the two warriors.  
"You wish to see the white mage? Very well."  
He snapped his fingers and Rosa, dome prison and all, appeared next to Cecil. The king rushed to her. Unable to break the dome, he turned his attention to the demon. "Release her!"  
"Of course. But I cannot have her interference in our battle, now can I?"  
"Be careful, guys. He's planned all this," Rosa warned her husband and the others. Cecil nodded as he, Sabin, and Edge approached the demon.  
The demon smiled and waved his hand. Suddenly the pond began to glow a bright red. "Oh no, this doesn't look good," Edgar muttered. Then the water sent up a bolt of pure energy racing through him. He yelled out as he felt pain coursing though every part of his body.  
Unable to help, Rosa watched as Edgar doubled over in pain, and the others fought the demon. She had tried to cast a spell, but her magic didn't work. 'This dome works like a mute spell. I can't help the others,' she thought in dismay.  
Cecil, Sabin, and Edge had their hands full with the monster. He cast lightning spells and sent fireballs flying towards them. Sabin dodged another fireball and looked back at his brother.  
The pain had become unbearable for Edgar. Every inch of his body was wracked with this pain. He had closed his eyes, trying to keep his mind off of the pain, but the more he tried, the more pain surged through his body. He fell to his hands and knees, unable to stand against the pain. He didn't know how much more he could take.  
Sabin knew his brother was in trouble, but he had to stop this demon to help him. He turned to the battle just as Edge and Cecil flew into him. The three toppled into a pile on the floor. "Guys, I'm gonna do a Blitz move. While I hit him with it, you attack with everything you got. Got it?" The other two nodded and they got to their feet. Sabin performed his most powerful blitz technique, As soon as he released it, Edge and Cecil struck.  
Unable to stop all three of the fighters at once, he found the Crystal Sword embedded in his chest. He staggered back and fell—dead.  
"We did it!" Edge cried out in glee, jumping up and down. "HA! In your face, bad guy!"  
The dome around Rosa disappeared. The pond stopped sending off the electricity. Rosa rushed over to the now unconscious Edgar. The others were quickly next to them.  
Edgar had a strange electric surge surrounding his body. Rosa got a shock when she tried to touch or cure him. "This is not good, guys. I can't even cast a spell on him."  
"What can we do?" Sabin asked.  
"We have to get him to Rydia. She is the only one who can summon Asura. She may be able to save him."  
"But how do we do that? We can't even touch him?" Edge asked. Cecil got an idea.  
"Cast an exit spell on Edge, Rosa. Edge, when you arrive on the Falcon, tell Setzer to take you to the others. Then tell Rydia to summon Asura and send her here."  
"What if she can't send her here? I don't know if I can find my way back here again," Edge asked.  
"She'll be able to do it," Cecil assured him. "She's our only chance. Hurry Rosa, Edgar's running out of time." Rosa nodded and quickly cast her spell on Edge.  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: Is it just me, or is Edgar a glutton for punishment? He's one of my favorite characters in FF6 actually. But right now he's in big trouble. Can Asura save him in time? Review and read the next chapter, folks! 


	7. Evil Doesn't Rest

AN: Howdy, Folks. In this chapter it's Rydia to the rescue and Kain get's kidnapped! Read on to find out how!  
  
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Chapter Seven...Evil Doesn't Rest  
  
Edge found himself at the mouth of the cave. He rushed up the rope and told Setzer to fly them to the Red Wings. He complied and in moments they were at the battle scene. The Red Wings were just finishing off the last of the dragons. Edge jumped aboard the airship that Rydia was on.  
"Hurry, Rydia! Call Asura! Edgar's in trouble and she's the only one that can help. Tell her to go to where he is." Rydia nodded and called forth the Queen of Summoned Monsters. She and Edge explained as quickly as they could and she nodded, saying she would go to where the injured king was.  
  
Meanwhile, Edgar had grown tremendously pale. The bolt was still encircling his body, and appeared to be draining his strength. Sabin was growing more and more worried as Edgar was barely breathing had not even moved since being released from the pond. 'Please be all right, Edgar,' he begged silently. Then Asura showed up, making an astonishing entrance as usual.  
She looked over the unconscious Edgar with worry. "Please help him, Queen Asura. I think he's dying," Rosa begged her.  
"He is," Asura stated flatly. She kneeled next to him and began to chant in an inaudible voice. A few moments later, the bolt of energy disappeared. Some color returned to the king's cheeks and his breathing, although still raspy, became smoother. "I have done all I can. He can be touched now. You must get him out of here. That bolt of energy was sucking him of strength and he should be taken from this place and get rest. Make sure to cast a cure spell on him every so often until he recovers fully." With that, she vanished.  
Rosa cast an exit spell on the party, and they found themselves at the mouth of the cave, where the Falcon was waiting. Cecil and Sabin carried Edgar on board, and soon they were speeding toward Baron.  
  
Edgar was cured, put to bed and made as comfortable as possible. Wounds were tended to, and then the others met in the conference room. Cecil and Edge described the final battle with the demon. "If Sabin hadn't made up that plan to destroy him, who knows what would have happened," Cecil concluded. Sabin shrugged, saying that it was a spur of the moment idea and that he was desperate to help Edgar.  
"At least he's been defeated. Now maybe we can have some peace," Kain remarked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kain woke that night to a knock on his door. Thinking it was Cecil and something had gone amiss, he quickly grabbed his spear and made it to the door in mere seconds. He threw the door open to reveal Relm standing before him.  
"Um...Relm is it?" he asked, not really knowing what was going on.  
"Yes. I was wondering if I could stay in here tonight. I don't feel right in a strange room all alone, and grandpa would just laugh at me and tell me how silly I am."  
"Is something wrong with the room?" Kain asked.  
"No, it's fine. I just keep hearing strange noises outside."  
Kain was now fully alert. "What kind of noises?"  
"I can't describe them. Locke and Terra said I was just dreaming, but I know I wasn't." Indeed the young girl did seem nervous.  
"I'll go investigate. You stay here." Relm nodded slowly, and Kain, spear in hand, left the room. Kain went out to the courtyard and started silently walking to the other side of the castle, where Relm's room was located. He stopped in front of Relm's window, listening to see if he could hear what she did. Nothing.  
'Maybe she WAS just dreaming,' Kain thought. He shrugged, turning to go. Just then something hard clubbed him on the back of the head, sending his world into darkness.  
  
Terra had just dozed off again after telling young Relm not to worry about noises of the night when there was another knock on her door. She sighed as she was again awaken by the knock. She answered the door to find Relm standing there.  
"Relm? What in the—?"  
"I know that there are no such things as ghosts, but what about real people?"  
"What are you talking about?" Terra asked, looking at the young painter in confusion.  
"I went to Kain's room and told him about the noises—,"  
"Oh, Relm—!" Terra interrupted, giving the girl a look. Relm ignored her and continued.  
"And he went to investigate. When he didn't return in after ten minutes, I went to see what happened. I found this outside my window." She held up Kain's spear. "Something bad happened. I can feel it."  
Now Terra was worried.  
  
Meanwhile, Polom had awaken as well, but not from strange noises or Relm. He sat up in bed quietly for a few moments, and then his eyes grew wide. He reached over and woke his sister.  
"Wha—what is it?" Porom asked, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes.  
"There is something wrong. Some evil has gotten into Baron somehow."  
Porom looked at her brother. "What kind of evil?"  
"I don't know, but I have a feeling we won't like it."  
Porom's eyes grew wide. "We better tell Cecil and the others—fast."  
  
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To Be Continued...  
  
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AN: Whew! Don't you just love cliffhangers? :o) . You'll have to read the next chapter to find out what happens next. Don't forget to review! 


	8. The Dragons

AN: Ready for the next chapter? The group splits up again, this time to look for Kain. They also find an unexpected group of allies... Read and Enjoy!  
  
Chapter Eight...The Dragons  
  
The twins met Terra and Relm in the hall. They exchanged stories quickly, then proceeded to go around each room, waking everyone else up. Soon the allies met in the conference room, minus Edgar and, of course, Kain. "Where's Kain?" Cecil asked.  
"That's what I'm trying to tell everyone. I think whoever made those noises outside my window tonight took him," Relm explained.  
This got everyone's attention. Relm explained that she had gone to Kain about the noise. He had gone out to investigate, but not returned. "When I went out to find him, I found this by my window." She held out Kain's spear.  
"That's Kain's spear!" Rosa exclaimed.  
Palom spoke up. "I also think I had better state another problem, Cecil." He explained his strange feeling after waking up. This only added to everyone's concern.  
"We have to find Kain!" Cecil stated. "Something must have happened to him."  
"Need some help?" came a familiar voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Edgar.  
"Edgar! What are you-," Terra began, but Edgar cut her off.  
"I'm fine, Terra. If something evil has been given birth, you'll need all the help you can get."  
As much as Terra hated to admit it and possibly put the still recovering Edgar in danger, she had to agree with him. "Alright. I don't think I could stop you if I tried."  
"Then it's agreed. We all go in search of Kain."  
  
An hour later, the new friends gathered outside the castle gates, fully armed and donned in armor. Cecil was the first to speak. "Kain could have been taken anywhere in the world. It appears as the Shefiel is still alive and now he has a new evil plot. He's found a new hiding place and Kain is his captive, so we must move fast to find him. Strategy is our best line of action. I suggest that we spit up into three groups and comb the countryside. Every cave and forest. Any possible hiding place must be searched."  
"Only three?" Porom asked.  
"Yes. Just to be on the safe side, Porom. This is a demon we're dealing with."  
"So how should we split up?" Edge asked Cecil.  
"We just have to pick groups," Rydia remarked.  
"Hmm...we should have at least two magic users in each group to balance out our forces," Edgar stated. "I'll form a group, Sabin can form another, and Cecil will choose the third group. Any objections?" A pause. "Good." Edgar looked around at his friends. At that moment, Terra stepped forward.  
"I'm going with you, Edgar. No buts."  
"Alright. Relm can come with us as well." Edgar turned to Edge and Rydia. "How about it you two? Want to come with us?" Edge and Rydia nodded.  
Sabin chose the young Mysidian twins, Palom and Porom, for his group, as well as Cyan and Edward. Rosa had insisted on being in Cecil's group, and was joined by Celes, Locke, and Yang. Setzer and Cid were chosen to fly the Falcon with Edgar's group, and Enterprise with Cecil's group respectively, and Strago would fly the Red Wing named Defiant with Sabin's group. It was agreed that they would each take a part of the map and meet at Baron in three hours. Soon the three groups were loading into their individual airships.  
Sabin went over to his brother. "I want you to be careful, Edgar. You are still recovering from the previous battle, and I don't want you to be injured further."  
"Relax, little brother. I will be fine. We've been through worse and came out all right." Sabin nodded, but he continued to frown.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Be careful, Grandpa," Relm told Strago.  
"Same for you, Relm. Stay close to the others and keep out of trouble," the mage warned.  
"We'll go search to the northwest. Cecil and company are going to the east, and Sabin's group is going south," Edgar explained on the deck of the Defiant. Soon all three airships were sailing off in different directions.  
  
Sabin looked out over the railing as the Defiant sailed through the air. He had a determined look on his face as he scanned for any signs of Kain or anything unusual. Then he heard something, a voice coming from behind him. He turned to find young Porom standing a few feet behind him. "Sabin, according to the map, there's a cave about two miles away."  
"Alright. We'll start looking there. Tell Strago to -" He was cut short by the sudden jolt of the airship.  
"Sabin! We have big trouble!" Strago called from the helm. Just then, a dragon appeared next to the ship. It hovered next to the ship and looked at the heroes.  
"Should we shoot some spells at it?" Palom asked.  
"No. Not yet. If it wanted to attack us, it would have done so already." He stepped up to the railing and called out to the dragon. "We are looking for a friend of ours. We think the demon Shefiel is holding him prisoner."  
To everyone's surprise, the dragon spoke. "You speak of a mutual enemy. Shefiel has put several of my fellow dragons under his power and is making them do his bidding. We had hoped to find and end the madman's reign before any innocents suffered."  
"We?" Sabin asked, curious as to what he meant. A moment later, half a dozen dragons appeared right next to the first. There was a slight pause.  
  
"How do we know that you aren't under control yourself? How do we know that this isn't some kind of trick thought up by Shefiel?" Palom asked skeptically.  
"If we were on Shefiel's side, we would have be speaking to you right now. We would be attacking you. We are just trying to save our brother dragons from the hands of that demon. You may believe what you wish, but I speak the truth."  
Sabin looked at the dragons and suddenly had a plan. "Perhaps we can work together to rid the world of Shefiel."  
"You speak as through you have a plan."  
"I do, but in order for it to succeed, we have to work together." The dragons looked at each other for a moment, then agreed to help Sabin and his friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sabin led the dragons back to Baron Castle, where the others were already waiting for them. There was, of course, a significant amount of shock upon seeing the dragons. Sabin made some short introductions.  
"These are our new allies. They have also been affected by Shefiel's magic. Some of their fellow dragons are under his power. This is their leader, Talon. They have agreed to help us defeat Shefiel once and for all!" The others welcomed the dragons' support.  
Edgar explained that Cecil's group had found Shefiel's new hiding place – a mountain range near Fabul named Mt. Hobbs. Cecil explained that there were about a half a dozen dragon's guarding the entrance to the mountain.  
It was decided that the dragons would distract their mind-controlled friends and create a diversion so that the warriors could sneak in easily. The humans piled into the Falcon and Setzer took off. As Cecil stood looking at the mountain three hours later, he couldn't help but remember his first trip here on foot. It was here, on this mountain, that he met Yang for the first time and helped him defeat a rather nasty bomb. Now he and his friends, both new and old, were going to face another enemy, and this one was even more deadly.  
"Cecil? Art thee well?" Cecil turned to see Cyan standing next to him.  
"I'm fine. Just thinking. Are we ready to put this plan into motion?"  
"Indeed. With thine permission, we shall move into position."  
Cecil looked surprised. "My permission?"  
Edgar nodded. "You and your friends are the leaders of this time. We're just here to aid you and make sure Shefiel doesn't win."  
Cecil turned to Yang. He was really the ruler of this area. He nodded, seemingly reading Cecil's mind. Cecil turned to the others. "Let's do it."  
The dragons started out to create their diversion. Not wanting to hurt his brethren, Talon directed his comrades to trick the dragons into chasing them away from the entrance. This plan worked flawlessly. Talon gave the mountain one more look before moving away. He saw the Falcon close in so the heroes could get onto the mountain. "Good luck, humans," he whispered.  
  
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To be continued...  
  
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AN: So, what next? Will our heroes save Kain and finish off Shefiel? Tune in next time to find out! Oh, and review, please. It is always appreciated. :o) 


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